It seems like the umbrella boycott dates back to people wearing hats everywhere they went. Then in the last 50 years or so the hats went away and why not use umbrellas?

Everyone I know who was born and raised in Seattle uses an umbrella. I think the "real Seattleites don't use umbrellas" thing was started by transplants.

I think the legend of Seattleites not using umbrellas has its roots in working class Seattle, and the downtown wind tunnels.

One of my first (and still one of the best) jobs I have ever had was selling popcorn at the corner of 4th and Union back in the late 80's. It was not a storefront, it was me and a cart outside of Butch Bloom's store in Rainier Square. In the rainy season, the winds would come howling up Union St, and I probably witnessed a thousand umbrellas being destroyed by the fierce winds of November and December. At least I had the overhang of Rainier Square, the warmth of my heavy duty 240v popcorn cart, and the ugly red cableknit sweater that was part of my uniform (along with my long johns under my equally ugly khakis) to keep me warm and somewhat dry, but umbrellas were (and are) essentially pointless on those downtown Avenues.

Oops, make that Downtown Streets, not Avenues. The streets tend to give a blessed respite from the winds off the sound.

Mrs. Vel-DuRay regrets the error.

I predict another Charles Mudede v.s. Cliff Mass tête-à-tête.

Catalina is correct. Umbrellas in the tower canyons are chaos.

"In this period of extremes, those devoted to the moderate culture of the Pacific Northwest will likely be forced to drop their established identity and buy air conditioners and umbrellas."

and Smoke Eaters
and decent Masks

how long till
Climate Refugees
over-flood our streets

When were umbrellas ever not a part of Seattle culture? You seem them popping out whenever it so much as drizzles.

In our dystopian new world, everyone should have one of these.

https://www.mileskimball.com/buy-plastic-rain-bonnet-303171?query=plastic%20rain%20bonnet&referrer=/search-page

Oh and don't buy an air conditioner. Instead get an electric heat pump

Umbrellas used to be the sure mark of an outsider - worse yet, someone from the God-forsaken east coast!
The other mark of an outsider-someone who mangled an umbrella, because they could not fix it:
if an umbrella inverts in the wind, point it back into the wind until the wind forces it back into shape. It’s a parabola, after all!

This article will surely piss off Cliff Mass, the NW's biggest climate change denier. May he be soaked to the skin in the next big rainstorm.

My stock reply to smug umbrella critics is, "Yes, umbrellas are how we tell the REAL Seattleites from the urban sophisticates."

(Personally, I have always preferred a wide-brimmed waterproof hat in most instances. But umbrellas definitely have their place and I would never criticize anyone for using one.)

@13 Cliff Mass accepts climate change and shares models that show dramatic change towards the end of the century. What he dislikes is attributing any weather event to climate change, especially those that don't meet any model. For example did climate change cause the massive fires in Maui this year or was it a combination of invasive non-native grasses, wind and poorly protected electrical lines?

Oh no! Will "real Seattlites" not be able to gatekeep ... staying dry when going outside anymore?

Bubbleator dear, it might have been the same guy. He had stands at Rainier Square, Union Square and that food court thing that used to be over by The Central Building. Rainier Square was the only "portable" stand - I had to wheel that SOB of a cart down into the parking garage, and bury the cash bag in a big bucket of unpopped corn.

Hard to believe that all of that is gone now, but Rainier Square never did have that much going for it.

@17 The rooftop patio area on top of Rainier Square was wonderful, I was sorry to see that go. When I was working nearby I ate my lunch there on nice days.

I fully doubt (Born here) that umbrellas will become common. As She says the wind tunnels and general windy-ness of downtown destroy most umbrellas in hard or soft rains.
As a former bus driver when Metro allowed drivers to reclaim umbrellas found on the bus (after a 2-3 month wait) I ended up with 16......I left almost all of them on buses in a week. Just don't have a use for them in any weather- ever.